It has a lot better ring than minor leaguer, which is what the 30-year-old forward was until two years ago when he was called up to the NHL and made up his mind never to leave.

"Obviously I’m extremely happy with the way it’s gone," Gionta said before the Devils faced the Phoenix Coyotes Saturday at Jobing.com Arena. "They’ve given me an opportunity to run with this role. I’m trying to do that and I think I’ve done a respectable job."

His best assets are penalty killing and a relentless forecheck that often flusters opposing defensemen. But in recent weeks, Gionta’s role has increased.

Coach Pete DeBoer has used him on the third line and also asked him to take more faceoffs.

"He’s a hard guy not to play," DeBoer explained. "At the same time, when we overuse him he’s not as effective. In a perfect situation he slots in as a fourth line guy that can hop over the boards with big energy and be a momentum-changing type player. When I play him up and 15-16-17 minutes a night, you naturally lose a little bit of that. That’s the battle with a guy like that because he’s easy to play. Everyone wants to play with him. He’s responsible,"

Gionta, once considered a fringe player on this team with a trip back to Albany (AHL) always a possibility, is more important to the Devils than his stats might show.

"I guess. It’s nice that they’re trusting me in these situations," Gionta said. "Obviously I didn’t come through the other night. They put me out for a faceoff, (I) ended up losing it, and it ended up in the back of our net.

"That’s something I try to take a lot of pride in, especially when they trust you in those situations. I like that they’re using me like that. If I can be their utility man, I’ll take that. It’s definitely nice getting that extra ice time."

Faceoffs are a sticky subject.

The Devils rank 29th in faceoff percentage this season. Only the Calgary Flames are worse. And Gionta has been asked to take more and more draws, something that has never been his forte.

"No. I wouldn’t even consider myself that good now," Gionta said. "But we have two righty and two lefty centers. If Trav (Zajac) is tired and it’s on my strong side, I have to find a way to come through."

DeBoer agreed that Gionta isn’t a real good faceoff man.

"That’s the one thing the numbers bear out. There’s not a lot of interpretation there," the coach said. "I guess it depends on who is taking the stats, but it’s either going one way or the other and you check it as a win or a loss. This is a guy we’ve asked to play center. He’s a natural winger, He hasn’t played his whole career at center, so I don’t expect him to be a great faceoff man. We just need him to be adequate."

Gionta has worked on taking draws with Scotty Nichol, who was among the league’s best faceoff men when he played for the Nashville Predators.

"He prided himself in being good on faceoffs. I think he was top five in the league the last few years. I just tried to pick up little tricks from him and apply them out there," Gionta said.

It’s been difficult at times, such as losing a key draw in Colorado.

"It didn’t end up right away in the back of our net, but I’ve got to give us a better chance of getting that puck out of the zone," Gionta said. "Especially when they put me out just for the draw. I have to come through with that one."

Gionta has persevered, which he says the Devils will do this season.

"Absolutely. I definitely think so," Gionta said. "We’re built for the long haul. It’s not a short term thing, it’s a marathon and I think we’re built for that. We have a lot of veteran presence and that helps in those tight situations and tight games later in the season."